Hi fellow Teresa-fans! If you hang around her Facebook page, you probably know me by now. I’m Erin, Teresa’s right hand gal (or evil minion, depending on my mood). Normally, I write book reviews over on Paws & Print, but Teresa invited me to take over this space on Fridays. I’ll be bringing you reviews of the latest and greatest mysteries from my bookshelf.

Have a favorite mystery series, or something new I should check out. Drop a comment on one of my posts. I love suggestions!

Okay, now that I got that intro stuff out of the way, lets get down to the heart of the matter. This week, I am bringing you the newest release from Jenn McKinlay, Cloche and Dagger.Cloche and Daggeris the first book in McKinlay’s new mystery series, the Hat Shop Mysteries. This book was also my first foray into McKinlay’s work.

Not only is Scarlett Parker’s love life in the loo—as her British cousin Vivian Tremont would say—it’s also gone viral with an embarrassing video. So when Viv suggests Scarlett leave Florida to lay low in London, she hops on the next plane across the pond. Viv is the proprietor of Mims’s Whims, a ladies’ hat shop on Portobello Road bequeathed to both cousins by their beloved grandmother, and she wants Scarlett to finally join her in the millinery business.

But a few surprises await Scarlett in London. First, she is met at the airport not by Viv, but by her handsome business manager, Harrison Wentworth. Second, Viv—who has some whims of her own—seems to be missing. No one is too concerned about the unpredictable Viv until one of her posh clients is found dead wearing the cloche hat Viv made for her—and nothing else. Is Scarlett’s cousin in trouble? Or is she in hiding? (book blurb c/o Amazon.com)

My Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyedCloche and Dagger.From page one, Scarlett had me laughing. She is quite the spit-fire and definitely an accident waiting to happen. In many ways, I could sympathize with her, the feeling lost and getting swept up into things beyond her control. Scarlett just intends to come to London to try to rebuild her life after her breakup goes viral on the internet.

Next thing she knows, she is swept up in a murder mystery, trying to track down her missing cousin, dodging a killer that may or may not be targeting her and fighting growing feelings for Harrison. Yep, Scarlett quickly gets herself into a pickle.

Perhaps my only complaint is that the book seems to drag in certain places. For having so much action in the storyline, those slower chapters confused me just a bit. That is not to say that Cloche and Daggeris not worth adding to your reading list, it definitely is! Anyone who enjoys an old-fashioned murder mystery and a fun, quirky heroine should get a kick out of this book.